In October, Amna Al Ameri left her 9-to-5 software engineering job to pursue her dream in the competitive gaming world, becoming one of the first female Emirati esports athletes.
Al Ameri, 25, says even her software engineering career was a result of her passion for video games.
"I thought about wanting to develop my own video games one day," she tells The National.
Al Ameri's love for video games began when she was only six years old, when she owned her first Nintendo Game Boy console.
"My favourite games on that console were Zelda, Pokemon and Tetris," she says.
She soon blossomed into an esports enthusiast when she found herself excelling at League of Legends.
"I thought: 'If I’m getting really good at this, why not take it at the next level and compete?’"
Known in the esports world as Moki, Al Ameri is now taking the gaming world by storm. She took part in her first tournament at Girlgamer eSports Festival Dubai in 2020, geared towards showcasing the skills of female gamers.
"It was huge," Al Ameri says. "That was my first tournament and how I began my e-sports career."
Al Ameri was part of a team known as Galaxy Racer, which came fifth at the competition.
After being part of Galaxy Racer for a year and a half, she joined Geekay Esports as a content creator and then later moved on to Lost eSports as a content creator and pro player. She has now joined the esports and game developer company Barzah Studios as a pro player.
However, being one of the first Emirati female esports athletes does not come without any challenges.
Al Ameri, who streams herself playing League of Legends on Twitch, says she often receives unsettling comments from internet trolls regarding her skills and her gender.
"I always feel like I’m treated differently because I’m a female even though I play at the same equal level as a male," she says. "I get comments like: ‘Oh, you should have done this, you should have done that, you’re not supposed to do this,’ and it kind of stresses me out because I have to play well and if I don’t, it’s like: ‘Oh, you don’t play good because you’re a female’."
But Al Ameri is determined to block out the negative noise and preserve her love of competitive gaming. She hopes to inspire other Emirati female gamers to take part in esports and compete.
She also wants to push the scene further in the region and show support to aspiring female esports athletes. In a society where traditional career paths are favoured, she believes increasing the visibility of female Emiratis in the field will "boost the scene".
"It’s going to motivate the younger generation to actually pursue this as a career," she says.
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
Teams in the EHL
White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers
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